Got a PlayStation 3 in your den? Come next Thursday, your glossy black game console will be capable of playing 3D Blu-ray discs, thanks to an upcoming firmware update, although you’ll need a 3D TV and a pair of 3D glasses to get the full effect.
Software update 3.50 for the PS3 is slated to arrive Sept. 21, according to the official PlayStation Blog, and among other new (still unannounced) features, it’ll enable the playback of 3D Blu-ray discs on the console’s built-in BD drive. The PS3 already got an update for 3D game titles back in April.
Of course, a simple firmware update on your PlayStation 3 isn’t necessarily enough to drop you into a cinematic 3D wonderland. You’ll also need a new HDTV capable of displaying 3D video, along with a pair (or two) of powered, active-shutter 3D glasses, which may or may not come bundled with your pricey new flat-screen. On their own, active-shutter 3D glasses (which use rapidly flickering LCD lenses that sync with your TV via an infrared link) cost about $150 a pop.
Meanwhile, there are only a handful of 3D Blu-ray movies available, such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "Monster House," "Disney’s A Christmas Carol" (which actually isn’t due until November) and a few assorted IMAX movies. What about "Avatar," you ask? It’s not coming until December — and even then, only with a new Panasonic 3D HDTV. Yep, you heard that right.
Indeed, next week’s free 3D Blu-ray update for PlayStation 3 owners is practically the only bargain we’ve seen in this whole 3D "revolution" for home video — which, by the way, would also involve a new, 3D-ready Blu-ray player for anyone who isn’t lucky enough to already have a PS3 at home.
As I wrote last week, 3D TV is still very much a wait-and-see proposition for most of us, given cost, equipment, and content (or lack thereof) involved, but at least those of us with PS3 consoles will be one step closer to seeing movies in 3D as of next week, for what it’s worth.
